Oil filter



Oct. 28, 1952 5E. sroREY 2,615,573

oIL FILTER Filled NoY. 22f 1948 gnam/whom ATTORNEY f Patented Oct. 28, 1952 UNITED 'STAT Frank E. Storey, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., as-v signor .to Packard Motor\'Car `Company',.:-Def troit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan vApplication Novonioor 22. 194s, seninNo.-614:zo`

-The lubrication system of an internal comfbustion engine must of necessity be of such construction as to ensure an adequate flow ofv lubricating oil to the engine bearings while the engine is inoperation and consequently must be so dey signed that any lter which it includes will be by-passed in the event that clogging of the lter element materially diminishes the flow of oil to the engine bearings.' -In general, this need'has been recognized andV the engine lubrication lsystems presently used, although generally satisfactory in that they include'by-pass means, are for the most part subject to the objectionV that the filterlelementby-pass valve,l operation-of which infrequently occurs,l are subject to Asticking and "also that when the? byf'passl valve is operated the vstream of incoming oil is directed across the surface of the clogged lter element, causing the 'oil to pick up sludge and other'foreign material oouotod onyoho nner', thereby contaminating the oil'delivered to the engine bearings.

' ;'-'Ih`e purpose of this inventionis to provide an oil filter which embodies Vthe satisfactory features of fllt'ers now in use but which is so designed and 'constructed as to'wholly avoid the possibility of the' Icy-pass valve'sticking, or of vcontamination -of Vthe' oil which is 'being by-passed with impurities'from the surface of the clogged lter element.' -To prevent sticking of the by-pass r.valve *there isprovided a novel arrangement of by-pass valve and valve guide whereby ra continuously moving lm of oil is caused to pass between the valve vand the valve guide at all times. This con stantly flowing oilgiilmpbiates the possibility of the valve sticking upon its .guide and ensures a'A Aready operation of the by-passmeans whenever the filter becomes clogged.

Contamination of 1 the oil which is diverted by the operation of the by-pass, by impurities which .havepreviously collected upon the lter element, is avoided Yby providing a' novel arrangement of by-pass ducts which cause the by-passed oil: to pass through the filter without making contact with, or sweeping over the surface of, the iilter element.

A""preferred embodiment o'f the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in detail.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an axial cross-section through the filter;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the lter as shown in Figure 1 showing the novel by-pass means and illustrating its relationship to the associated lter elements; and

c claims. (c1. 21o-166) 2- l Figure-3 is a 'section on line 3-3 of Figure '2. j In? the 4embodiment of the invention selected forfd-isclosure by way of example the lterele- Vmentor cartridge I is in theform of an inverted frusturnof Jva'cone and vis so disposed withinA a fluid-tight housing or casing that the enclosed spacejis divided thereby into twochambersf lthe upper'chamber Il into whichoil to be filtered is pumped, and the lowerchamber I2 in which filtered oil is collected. The casing comprises a vgenerally cup-shaped member I3 and a cap or cover I4 detachably secured in place. The an.k

. the under-surface of the cover I4. Its lowerv 'ancore l5 which 'is rpreferably coaxial with the cylin- :pressed-tightly aginst gasket I4, bylthepressure nularendesur'fa'ce closely encircles a cylindrical dricalwall of member I3 and integral with `its bottom. The cover I4 is detachably heldin position by a 'screw vbolt I6, the threaded lower end of which-enters the correspondingly threaded upper -end of a duct or passage I1 which passes throughl thecore I5, and the filter element lis maintained in the-position in which itis shown,

ofthe upwardly acting helical spring I8, coaxial withf core I5. Interposed between the upper end of thespri'ng I8 and the lower end ofthe filter element In are fthe rings 20 and 2|,` the former being a movable abutment for the spring I8 and the latter a sealing ring, adapted to maintain 'fluid-tight contact with the cylindrical Wall of vthecore I5; Y l A In `the normal operation of the lter, oil to be `ltered'issues from the upwardly and outwardly inclined ducts22 formed in the wall' of core I5 'and which communicate lwith its central oil supplyfpassage, the oil'thus flowing into the upper "chamber II then passing through the lter I0 into the oil collecting chamber I2 and eventually being withdrawn through the oil escapeaperture 23,v #The Viilterable impurities containedin the oil, `will remain upon the upper surface of the cartridgey III., When the layer of solids uponthe upper` surface of the filter element becomes so thick'v that liow of oil through the lter is seriously reduced, the by-pass means now to be described will function and the incoming oil will be delivered directly and in unfiltered condition to the oil collecting chamber I2.

Below the filtering element I0 the oil delivery passage I'I is in direct communication with the oil collection chamber I2, downwardly and outwardly inclined ducts 24, formed in the wall of the member l5 being always open. However, a by-pass valve is so disposed within passage IT that, under normal circumstances, incoming oil must of necessity dow through the upper ducts 22 into the upper chamber H instead of through ducts 24 into the lower chamber l2. This valve is indicated at 28 and comprises an annular member normallyurged toward and maintained in closed position, in contact with an annular downwardly facing shoulder 25 comprising a valve seat located between ducts 22 and ducts 24, f

by a helical spring 30. The upper end of this spring bears at all times against the under-sur'- face of the valve and its lower end rests upon the upper surface of a threaded plug -3l .tted into the lower end of passage l1.

This plug has an axial cylindricalupwardly extending portion 34 of reduced diameter whichv passes through, and comprises a guide for, the by-pass valve 28. Thediameter of the cylindri- .ical inner surface of the aperture in the Ivalve is, i.however., slightly greater than .theV diameter of -v theguide 34, there` being thus leftbctween the 7mutually facing surfaces of valve and guide an annular passage of such width as to ensure the free iow of a thin nlm-like stream of oil 4at all times, Conveniently, `oil to `be filtered may iiow .to passage Ilthrough a duct 32 formedin plug t3 l.. and its extension 34, being dischargedv into the passage at a point just below the lowerend of -screw bolt I6, which serves to seal the upper end of the passage. Because of the constant iiow `of oil between yvalve guide Sli and valve 28 a portion of the oil nowing through the lter under normal conditions-will not actually pass through the filter element Ill but r.the amount will -be relatively small and the ltering eniciency fof .the unitnot rappreciably lowered. The benefit realized -by eliminating all possibility -that the lay-'pass valvev .may stick greatly outweighs the slight loss of nl- ..tering efficiency and the arrangement' is such .that, when the by-pass Valve is opened by-rise .in-oil pressure in the upper chamberv H the `-streamer? by-.passed oilwill flow directly into thelower chamber, -`sludge and impurities intercepted y:byA theiilter elementbeing trapped in theupper chamber: until the casing is` opened and N the clogged lter element removed and replaced;`

Having. thus described the invention, what is i claimed as new and desired. to be securedby LetgtersPatent isz. i g

- l. A lte'r` comprising a casing :defining a chamber having an oil outlet opening, avilter elementdividing said chamber into-oil-re'ceiving :and oil collecting spaces, a centralcorerin said =casing provided with an oil inlet passage with -duets;.leac1ing imm said passage vto both VVsaid spacespsaidspassage having a valve seat `intermediate saidrducts, an oil inlet ,fitting exteimiing4 space becomes excessive.

sure in the oil receiving space becomes excessive.

2. In a filter, a chamber for liquid under superior pressure, a second chamber for liquid under inferior pressure, said chambers having a common wall comprising a lter element, means defining a by-pass duct connecting said chambers, an oil inlet tting positioned within said duct and an annular valve guided on said fitting, said valve normally maintaining said duct substantially closed, the entire mutually facing surfaces of said valve and tting defining a'passage which permits a constant flow of liquid through said by-pass duct, thus obviating the possibility of the valve sticking to the valve guiding surface of thefitting.

3. A filter comprising a casing defining a chamber having an outlet opening, a filter element dividing said chamber into liquid receiving and liquid collecting spaces, a central core in said casing provided with an inlet passage with ducts leading from said passage to both said spaces, a valve, a valve seat and a valve yguide disposed in said passage intermediate said ducts, a valve closure element normally positioning said valve against said seat preventing substantial liquid iiow from said passage through one of said ducts to said collecting. space, the entire mutually facing surfaces of said valve and valve guide defining a passage which permits a constant flow of liquid between said valve and guide, said valve permitting substantial liquid flow to said collecting space when pressure in the receiving space becomes excessive.

4. A filter` comprising a casing. dening .a chamber having a liquid outlet opening, a iilter element dividing said chamber into liquid receiving and liquid collecting spaces, a central core in said casing having an inlet passage with ducts leading from. said passage to both said spaces and a valve seat intermediate said ducts, a cylindrical liquid inlet fitting extending intosaidpassage and an annular Valve guided on said tting and defining therewith a channel which permits aV constant flow of liquid between saidvvalve Aand ifttiilg,V a valve closure element normally positoning said valve against said seat preventing substantial liquid flowf'rom said passage through one'of said ducts to said collecting space, .and

permitting vsubstantial liquid now to 'said .last named'spacer when pressure `in the receiving .FRANK E. sToREY.

le of this patent: Y i

Y nutrenl STATES PATENTS Number l V f Name` Date revises chryst K Y v aug, 16, i932 "2,203,495 Kalnrath June'e, 1940 2,38191314v Pond el) al NOV. 27, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Nov. l, 1923 

